What Are Seismic Waves?

Seismic waves are the waves of energy caused by the sudden breaking of
rock within the earth or an explosion. They are the energy that travels
through the earth and is recorded on seismographs.
Types of Seismic Waves
There are several different kinds of seismic waves, and they all move
in different ways. The two main types of waves are body
waves and surface waves. Body waves can travel through the earth's
inner layers, but surface waves can only move along the surface of the
planet like ripples on water. Earthquakes radiate seismic energy as
both body and surface waves.
BODY WAVES
Traveling through the interior of the earth, body waves arrive
before the surface waves emitted by an earthquake. These waves
are of a higher frequency than surface waves.
P WAVES
The first kind of body wave is the P wave or primary wave. This
is the fastest kind of seismic wave, and, consequently, the first to
'arrive' at a seismic station. The P wave can move through solid
rock and fluids, like water or the liquid layers of the earth. It
pushes and pulls the rock it moves through just like sound waves
push and pull the air. Have you ever heard a big clap of thunder
and heard the windows rattle at the same time? The windows
rattle because the sound waves were pushing and pulling on the
window glass much like P waves push and pull on rock.
Sometimes animals can hear the P waves of an earthquake. Dogs,
for instance, commonly begin barking hysterically just before an
earthquake 'hits' (or more specifically, before the surface waves
arrive). Usually people can only feel the bump and rattle of these
waves.
P waves are also known as compressional waves, because of the
pushing and pulling they do. Subjected to a P wave, particles
move in the same direction that the the wave is moving in, which
is the direction that the energy is traveling in, and is sometimes
called the 'direction of wave propagation'. Click here to see a P
wave in action.

FIGURE 1 - A P WAVE TRAVELS THROUGH A MEDIUM BY

MEANS OF COMPRESSION AND DILATION. PARTICLES ARE
REPRESENTED BY CUBES IN THIS MODEL. IMAGE 20002006 LAWRENCE BRAILE, USED WITH PERMISSION.
S WAVES
The second type of body wave is the S wave or secondary wave,
which is the second wave you feel in an earthquake. An S wave is
slower than a P wave and can only move through solid rock, not
through any liquid medium. It is this property of S waves that led
seismologists to conclude that the Earth's outer core is a liquid. S
waves move rock particles up and down, or side-to-side-perpindicular to the direction that the wave is traveling in (the
direction of wave propagation). Click here to see a S wave in
action.

FIGURE 2 - AN S WAVE TRAVELS THROUGH A MEDIUM.

PARTICLES ARE REPRESENTED BY CUBES IN THIS MODEL.
IMAGE 2000-2006 LAWRENCE BRAILE, USED WITH
PERMISSION.
If you'd like to try your hand at making your own P and S waves,
try this little experiment.
SURFACE WAVES
Travelling only through the crust, surface waves are of a lower
frequency than body waves, and are easily distinguished on a
seismogram as a result. Though they arrive after body waves, it is
surface waves that are almost enitrely responsible for the damage
and destruction associated with earthquakes. This damage and the
strength of the surface waves are reduced in deeper earthquakes.
LOVE WAVES
The first kind of surface wave is called a Love wave, named after
A.E.H. Love, a British mathematician who worked out the
mathematical model for this kind of wave in 1911. It's the fastest

surface wave and moves the ground from side-to-side. Confined

to the surface of the crust, Love waves produce entirely
horizontal motion.Click here to see a Love wave in action.

FIGURE 3 - A LOVE WAVE TRAVELS THROUGH A MEDIUM.

PARTICLES ARE REPRESENTED BY CUBES IN THIS MODEL.
IMAGE 2000-2006 LAWRENCE BRAILE, USED WITH
PERMISSION.
RAYLEIGH WAVES
The other kind of surface wave is the Rayleigh wave, named for
John William Strutt, Lord Rayleigh, who mathematically
predicted the existence of this kind of wave in 1885. A Rayleigh
wave rolls along the ground just like a wave rolls across a lake or
an ocean. Because it rolls, it moves the ground up and down, and
side-to-side in the same direction that the wave is moving. Most
of the shaking felt from an earthquake is due to the Rayleigh
wave, which can be much larger than the other waves. Click
here to see a Rayleigh wave in action.

FIGURE 4 - A RAYLEIGH WAVE TRAVELS THROUGH A

MEDIUM. PARTICLES ARE REPRESENTED BY CUBES IN THIS
MODEL. IMAGE 2000-2006 LAWRENCE BRAILE, USED WITH
PERMISSION.
What is the difference between Magnitude and Intensity?
Intensity: The severity of earthquake shaking is assessed using
a descriptive scale the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale.
Magnitude: Earthquake size is a quantitative measure of the size of
the earthquake at its source. The Richter Magnitude Scale measures
the amount of seismic energy released by an earthquake.
When an earthquake occurs, its magnitude can be given a single
numerical value on the Richter Magnitude Scale. However the intensity
is variable over the area affected by the earthquake, with high
intensities near the epicentre and lower values further away. These are
allocated a value depending on the effects of the shaking according to
the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale.

In an example, Magnitude can be likened to the power of radio or

television waves sent out from a broadcasting station. Intensity is how
well you receive the signal, which can depend on your distance from
the energy source, the local conditions, and the pathway the signal has
to take to reach you.
Q:

What instruments are used to measure

earthquakes?
A:
QUICK ANSWER
The seismograph and the seismoscope are the two main instruments
used to measure the strength of earthquakes. The seismoscope is a
simple instrument that measures the time that an earthquake takes
place. The seismograph records the motion of the ground during an
earthquake.

What instruments are used to measure

earthquakes?
A:
QUICK ANSWER
The seismograph and the seismoscope are the two main instruments
used to measure the strength of earthquakes. The seismoscope is a
simple instrument that measures the time that an earthquake takes

place. The seismograph records the motion of the ground during an

earthquake.

What machine is used to measure earthquakes?

Credit: Wf Sihardian / EyeEm EyeEm Getty Images

A seismograph's main component is a hanging mass as heavy as
1,000 pounds that is connected to a pen, and this large pendulum is
situated just above a paper surface. When the ground moves, so does
the paper, which rubs against the pen and marks the movement.
Seismographs are isolated and connected to bedrock to ensure that
the data they receive is not affected by the movement of surrounding
objects. Advanced technology improves the accuracy of the
seismograph and makes it sensitive to minute ground movements.

What instruments are used to predict earthquakes?

A:As of 2015, there are no instruments available that can actually
predict an earthquake, but instruments used to detect earthquakes
include creepmeters, str
EARTHQUAKES

Q:
What is the difference between a seismogram and a
seismograph?

A:A seismogram is a visual record that is created by a seismograph. A

seismograph is a piece of equipment that records earthquake
movements. These two items . EARTHQUAKES

Q:
How does a seismograph work?

A:A seismograph has two basic parts; an outer case that moves with
the undulations of the earth, and an inner core that remains stable and
records the earth'
EARTHQUAKES

Q:

Who invented the modern seismograph?

A:John Milne was given credit for creating the modern seismograph in
1880. His invention of the horizontal pendulum seismograph has been
improved throughout